Ford Teams Struggle at Sonoma Road Course

NASCAR’s Sprint Cup series paid a visit to the road course at Sonoma and the results were very disappointing for the Ford contingent of drivers. Joey Logano did not lead a lap around the 2.5-mile track, but managed to place third, the only Fusion in the top 10. Brad Keselowski finished 15th and Greg Biffle 18th as the Blue Oval teams struggled with the challenge of steering right andleft around the 11-turn layout in the wine country hills of California.Tony Stewart won for the first time in 84 races and opened the possibility of qualifying for the playoff field of 16 drivers. Stewart missed the first eight races of the year with a back injury suffered during the offseason and needs to finish in the top 30 in points for his win to assure him a spot in the Chase for the Cup. Stewart currently sits 32nd but is only eight points out of the all-important 30th spot. Logano and Keselowski remain the only two Fords in the top 16 in points, both locked into the Chase playoffs with wins.Michael Bugarewicz, Stewart’s crew chief, brought his driver to pit road for a green flag pit stop with just over 20 laps to go in the event. Bugarewicz’s decision was based on in-car radio chatter from other drivers noting there was debris on the track. NASCAR waved the caution flag to clean up a piece of metal that had fallen off one of the race cars, allowing Stewart to remain on the track as the rest of the field pitted under the yellow. With the lead and a clear track in front of him Stewart took command on the restart and held off challenges from Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin over the closing laps. Hamlin managed to slip past Stewart halfway through the last lap, but Stewart drove hard into the final turn as Hamlin slid high. Stewart bumped Hamlin as they exited the corner, bouncing Hamlin off the outside wall and allowing Stewart to race uncontested to the checkered flag.The Sprint Cup series returns to Daytona for the traditional Saturday night race closest to the 4th of July in what promises to be an exciting event given the photo finish that ended the Daytona 500.